Ejecting mechanism.



G. F. KBWITZ.

EJEGTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1913.

w w, 5 Q 6 a- 0 fi 1 Q? G. F. KEWITZ.

EJEGTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1913.

1,106,570., Patented Aug. 11, 1914;

2 SHEETS-315E111 2.

GXW 7 FFlCE.

CHARLES E. KEWITZ, 0F LAKEWOOD, OHIO.

EJ' ECTIN G MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. Knwrrz, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lakewood, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Im rovement in Ejecting Mechanism, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to article stackers, and ejecting machinery'andparticularly to an ejecting mechanism for book binding machines althoughthe arrangements here disclosed are equally applicable to printingmachinery, envelop sealers, stampers, or cancelers, folding machines,box making machines, package fillers, and other uses too numerous tomention. However for purposes of disclosure Ihave illustrated anddescribed the device in connection with a book stitching machine, sincethe employment of my improvements serves to obviate many difliculties towhich these machines are peculiarly subject, although I do not proposeto confine myself to such use.

In certain well-known and widely used stitching machines, such, forexample, as that shown in the patent to Kugler, No. 795,623, dated July25, 1905, pamphlets or signatures are stitched, one at a time, withthread, the thread being continuous so that all of the signatures orpamphlets are secured together at their backs, and each new signature orpamphlet after being stitched is pressed against the rearward end of theseries of already stitched signatures or pamphlets so that the wholestack or pile is gradually advanced. It is the usual custom to sup ortthese signatures or pamphlets in vertica position with their backs upand to move them in a horizontal direction, some sort of a block orWeight being frequently employed for holding these pamphlets orsignatures in upright position. At intervals, an attendant Will remove agreater or smaller number of the completed signatures or pamphlets,breaking or cutting the thread at that point. However, it has been foundthat these signatures or pamphlets tend to bind in the guideway owing totheir Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 22, 1913.

Patented Aug. jlil, ILWML. Serial No. 786,086.

weight and friction, or to fall over forwardly owmg to the pressure frombehind, or to fall rearwardly against the needle and into the path ofthe approaching pamphlets, and considerable inc swenience has beencaused by the clogging of the machine and the breaking of needles.

Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to provide mechanism forconveymg these signatures or pamphlets, at the proper rate, away fromthe operating portion of the machine to the end that such clogging ofthe machine and interference with its function may be eliminated.

Other objects are the provision of means in such a device for regulatingor varying the amount of feed depending upon the thickness of thepamphlet or other articles; the provision of means for adjusting thepressure of contact of those pamphlets or articles with the advancingmeans, depending upon the weight of the same; the provision of a simplealarm or indicator, whereby the attendant may be warned when the rackhas become full so that the pamphlets or articles may be removed; whilefurther objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe description proceeds.

Generally speaking my invention may be defined as consistin of thecombinations and constructions rec1ted in the claims hereto annexed andillustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of thisapplication, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stitching machine provided with myimproved attachment; Fig. 2 is a detail view taken immediately beside myattachment and showing only so much of the stitching mechanism as isessential to understand the operation of the attachment; Fig. 3 is a topplan view of the stacking table, together with the devices ofmy-invention; Fi 4 is a detail view showing in side elevation the feedmechanism which I employ; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the samemechanism; Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken upon thelines 66 of Fig. 2 and looking in the directions of the arrows, thesprockets being shown in elevation, and Fig. 7 is a gottom plan view ofthe parts shown in l lescribing the parts by reference characters, 1'represents the frame or standard of a stitching machine, 2 the fly wheelor drive wheel, 3 the stitcher arm, 4 the needle plunger, 5 theplunger-operating arm, 6 the needle and 7 the needle shoe. In themachine here illustrated the pam hlets to be sewed are supported upon aV-s aped anvil 10 carried on the upper end of an arm 11, the latterbeing pivoted at 12 upon a horizontal axis so as to be swung toward andfrom the frame of the machine, as shown in full and dotted lines in Fi2. The sides of the anvil are formed of at plates 13, 14 respectively,spaced apart or apertured at the apex as shown at 14*, the plate 13being so disposed relatively to the arm 11 as to be positionedsubstantially vertically when that arm is in forward position, as shownin full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Fig. 2. By suitablemechanism, not necessary to be described for purposes of the presentapplication, the needle is operated in phase with the movement of thearm, so

that upon the forward movement of this arm, the needle may be advancedinto the slot or aperture 14, whereupon knotting, looping, or tyingmechanism is actuated to secure thethread.

Mounted between the side members of the machine frame at the oppositeside of the needle shoe from the anvil is a stacking table 15 for thereception of the signatures or pamphlets after they are sewed. Thistable is generally secured in a horizontal position so as to support thepamphlets without any tendency of the same to move bodily in onedirection or the other, and is raised or lowered as necessary for thereception of the pamphlets or signatures by means of a rack 16 andpinion 17, the adjustment, when secured, being rendered permanent bymeans of a suitable set screw 18. A guide rod 19 cooperating with asleeve 20 carried by the machine frame, may be employed to maintain theplatform 15 in rigid position. The height of the shoe 7 is such that theanvil 10 with the pamphlet thereon may just 7 swing therebelow; and theheight of the table is adjusted so that the edges of the leaves may justclear the same.

In the operation of the machine, the arm 11 swings to the position shownin full lines in Fig. 2; an attendant places a pamphlet or signatureupon the anvil in open position with the back of the same coincidingwith the apex; the arm then swings to the position shown in dotted linesin Fig. 2; the needle is depressed perforating the sheet and carryingthe thread through the paper; the threads are looped, twisted, orknotted,

depending upon the operation of the machine; and the needle iswithdrawn. Thereupon, the arm 11 swings back to its original positionfor the reception of another pamphlet, the first pamphlet being leftupon the stacking table by reason of the fact that the thread with whichit is sewed is not severed from the preceding pamphlet. The attendantnow places another pamphlet upon the arm after which the latter is againswung so as to carry the new signature or pamphlet into the range ofoperation and the pamphlet or signature already sewed is shoved alongthe table a distance dependent upon its thickness and that of thepamphlet being brought up.

Inasmuch as the threads are not cut, the stackin table soon becomesfilled with the pamph cts all sewn together at their backs,

and the weight and friction of these pamphlets and their tendency tobuckle, bind and fall over, sometimes blocks the operation of themachine and frequently causes delay by breaking needles. In order toovercome this difliculty I provide the lower face of the table 15adjacent to each corner with a depending bracket 25, and in thesebrackets I journal parallel horizontal transverse shafts 26 and 27. Uponeach of these shafts I secure a pair of spaced sprocket wheels 28, 28the table 15 being provided with a pair of slots 29 adjacent to each endthrough which these sprocket wheels may project. Around these sprocketwheels I pass chains 30, 30, the portion of these chains which liesabove the table resting fiat upon the surface of the table and beingthereby supported in a smooth and horizontal manner. The teeth of thesprocket wheels, articularly at the receiving end of the ta 1e, arepreferably slightly longer than the thickness of the chain so as toproject therethrough a short distance as shown at 31.

Carried by one of the shafts, as 26, is a ratchet wheel 32, and securedto the table 15, adjacent to the ratchet is a reciprocable slide 33. Inthe present embodiment, this slide consists of a metal block havingtherein a pair of slots 34 receiving the screws 35, 35 by which it issecured to the table 15. Adjustably secured to one face of this block isa plate 36, so arranged as to be shifted longitudinally thereof andclamped in any desired position of adjustment. Pivoted to the end of theblock opposite to that beyond which the plate 36 projects is a pawl 37,said pawl being, in the present instance, formed in twoparts the betterto prevent accidental failure to operate. The block 33 is normally heldin retracted position by means of the spring 38, and the location of theparts is such that the end of the plate 36 will project into the path ofmovement of the plate 13 or other suitable portion of the anvil.

In order to prevent the whole weight of the pamphlets from beingimpressed upon the chains 30, I preferably provide the table 15 with aplurality of spaced parallel friction strips 40, 40, the same beingsupported upon the ends of thumb screws 41. Also, in order to preventthe pamphlets from falling over or crumpling of their own Weight, aretarding block 42 may be provided, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, saidblock preferably having its lower face notched or grooved, as at 43, soas not to be engaged by the chains.

With this construction it will be seen that, upon each swing of the arm11, the plate 13 will come in contact with the end of the plate 36,displacing the block 33 and rotating the ratchet wheel 32, whereby thesprockets 28, 28 and chains 30, 30 are advanced. Upon the movement ofthe arm in the opposite direction, the block returns to its formerposition and the pawls take a new position on the ratchet ready for therepetition of the operation.

Adjustment for pamphlets or signatures of different thickness iseffected by means of the plate 36, since the greater the distance beyondthe block this extends, the earlier it will be contracted by the plate13 and the greater will be the displacement of the ratchet wheel. Ofcourse the fineness of this adjustment will depend entirely upon thepitch of the ratchet, but that is not important, since I find byexperience that the machine works best when the conveyer mechanismoperates at a slightly greater speed than the signatures or pamphletsare fed thereto, thus tending to separate the pamphlets instead ofpermitting anycrowding of the same. The sprocket teeth project slightlythrough the chain, as previously stated, and engage the edges of thesheet positively so as to prevent any failure of progression, althoughthe flexibility of the sheets is such as to cause them to slipbackwardly past the teeth before any material grounding is caused.

It will be noted that, in any case the pamphlets between the receivingend of the table and the center of the first sprocket wheel will bemoved entirely by the arm and not by the chain. The friction strips 40,40 will be adjusted by means of the thumb screws 41, 41 to that heightwhich experience may show to be most advantageous with signatures orpamphlets of a given weight. Inasmuch as the chains may travel morerapidly than the pamphlets there must be some slipping and it issometimes necessary to reduce the friction so as to permit thisslipping. The fact that the retarding block rests only upon the frictionstrips and not upon the chains causes it to hold the books or pamphletsfrom rogressing too rapidly. Also one pair of sibts is made of greaterwidth than the other pair of slots as shown in Figs. 3, 6 and 7, and thecorresponding sprocket wheels are slidably secured upon their shafts, asillustrated at 42, so that the distance between the chains can beadjusted, depending upon the length of the'signatures or pamphlets.

In order to apprise the attendant or operator that the stacking table isbecoming full, a great many expedients could be employed, as will beobvious, but the simplest which occurs to me is that illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2 thereof, and consists of a bell 45 secured at thedischarging end of said table and a suitable wire or arm 46 pivoted tothe end of'the table and having at its end a striker 47. The middleportion of this arm is'deflected laterally, as at 48, so as to renderthe arm unbalanced, thus tending to retain it in upright position whenturned in that way, and also causing it to be engaged by the face of theblock 42 upon the approach of the same, whereupon it falls to theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, ringing the bell and apprisingthe attendant that the table is full.

While I have chosen, for purposes of illustration, a book stitchingmachine of the type illustrated in the patent to Kugler, 795,623hereinbefore referred to, I do not limit myself to use with thatmachine, or with that class of machines since there are many machines towhich my attachment may be applied with beneficial results and withoutthe exercise of anything excepting ordinary mechanical skill. Also,while I have described in detail the particular construction andarrangement of the parts of my invention, I have done so merely forpurposes of illustration and not with the idea of limita tion,wherefore, I do not propose to limit it to such details, except as thesame may be positively included in the claims hereto annexed or may berendered necesrary by the prior state of the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a stackingmechanism of the type wherein successive paper articles are delivered invertical position to a horizontal receiving table and are advanced alongthat table by the operation of a ramming device acting upon each articleas it is delivered, the combination, with such table and ramming device,of means for attaching the uppermost edge of each newly deliveredarticle to the corresponding edge of the next preceding article,conveyer mechanism pro jecting above the surface of said table andarranged to bear against the lowermost edges of said articles, and meansfor ad vancing said conveyer mechanism intermittently.

2. In stitching mechanism, the combination with a needle shoe, avertically adjustable stacking table located beneath said shoe, and aramming device movable toward and from said table and arranged todeliver articles singly to said table and to press them against thearticles already in place thereon, of means for securing each article tothe succeeding article as it passes beneath said shoe, conveyermechanism carried .by said table and upon which said articles may bear,means for advancing said conveyer mechanism intermittently substantiallysimultaneously with theaddition of succeeding articles to the end of theseries, the amount of advance movement at each step being at least asgreat as the thickness of the articles added. A

3. In ejecting mechanism of the type wherein flexible paper articles aredelivered in succession to a stacking table and advanced along thattable by theaddition of succeeding articles to the rear end of theseries, the combination, with the stacking table, of an endless chainprojecting above the surface of said table and upon which said articlesma bear, sprocket wheels journaled to the ta 1e and having teethengaging said chain, the length of the teeth being greater than thethickness of the chain and the position of the wheels being such as tocause said teeth to project above the surface of the table and engagethe articles directly, and means for advancing said sprocket wheelsintermittently substantially simultaneously with the addition ofsucceeding articles to the end of the series, the amount of advancemovement at each step being at least as great as the thickness of thearticles added. I

4. In ejecting mechanism of the type wherein paper articles aredelivered in succession to a stacking table and advanced along thattable by the addition of succeeding articles to the rear end of theseries,

the combination, with the stacking table, of

conveyer mechanism projecting above the surface of saidtable and uponwhich said articles may bear, supporting members adjacent to andparallel with said conveyer mechanism and adapted torelieve the latterof a portion of the weight of said articles, and adjustable means forvariably advancing said conveyer mechanism intermittently substantiallysimultaneously with the addition of succeeding articles to the end ofthe series.

'5. In ejecting mechanism of the type wherein paper. articles aredelivered in $110- cession to a stacking table and advanced along thattable by the addition of succeeding articles to the rear end of theseries, the combination, with the stacking table, of conveyer mechanism,projecting above the surface of said table and upon which said articlesmay bear, supporting members adment of sai jacent to and parallel withsaid conveyer mechanism and adapted to relieve the latter of a portionof the weight of said articles, means for adjusting said supportingmembers toward and from the top of said table so as to vary theproportion of weight carried thereby, and means for advancing saidconveyer mechanism intermittently substantially simultaneously with theaddition of succeeding articles to the end of the series, the amount ofadvance movement at each step being substantially proportional to thethickness of said articles.

6. In ejecting mechanism of the type wherein paper articles aredelivered in succession to a stacking table and are advanced along thattable by the operation of a ramming device acting upon each article asit is delivered, the combination, withsuch table and ramming device, ofconveyer mechanism adapted to engage and advance said articles, meanspro ecting into the path of moveramming device and adapted to bedisplaced upon the advancing movement thereof, and connections betweensaid means and said'conveyer mechanism whereby the latter will beshifted forwardly one step upon each advancing movement of said rammingdevice.

7 In ejecting mechanism of the type wherein paper articles are deliveredin suc- 'cession to a stacking table and are advanced along that tableby the operation of a ramming device acting upon each article as it isdelivered, the combination, with such table and ramming devic ofconveyer mechanism adapted tocengage and advance said articles, areciprocable member, means carried by said member and projecting intothe path. of movement of said ramming device so as to be'displacedtogether with said member upon the advancing movement thereof, andconnections between said member and said conveyer mechanism wherebythelatter will be advanced upon the forward movement of the former, saidmeans being adjustable relatively to said member whereby the amount ofdisplacement can be varied.

8. In ejecting mechanism of the type" wherein paper articles aredelivered insuccession to a stacking table and advanced along that tableby the addition of succeed-- ing articles to the end of the series, the

combination, with the stacking table, of a plurality of verticallyadjustable, parallel,

iction strips carried by said table, a plurality of conveyer memberslocated between said friction strips and adapted to bear against thelowermost portions of said articles, and means for advancing saidconveyer members intermittently, substantially simultaneously with theaddition of succeeding articles to the end of the series, the amount ofsuch advance movement at each step being greater than the thickness ofsuch articles.

S). In mechanism of the character described. the combination, with ashoe and a substantially horizontal stacking table having slots therein,and supported beneath the same. said table being vertically adjustable,of flexible conveyer devices passing through said slots. a portion ofsuch conveyer devices projecting above the upper surface of said table.a reciprocable ramming device arranged in line with said conveyerdevices and arranged for feeding paper articles singlv to the end ofsaid table. and means carried by said table and arranged to be engagedby said ramming devices upon the advancing movement of the same foradvancing said conveyer devices substantially simultaneously with thefeed of said articles.

10, The combination with a stacking table. and means for feeding paperarticles thereto singly and pressing the same against the articlesalready onsaid table, of a pair of shafts journaled adjacent to saidtable, wheels carried by said shafts, flexible conveyer devices passingaround said wheels, a portion of said conveyer devices passing along theupper face of said table, stationary friction strips carried by saidtable adjacent to and parallel with said conveyer members, and means foradvancing said conveyer devices intermittenently substantiallysimultaneously with the application of new articles to the end of theseries.

11. The combination with a stacking table, and means for feeding paperarticles thereto singly and pressing the same against the articlesalready on said table, of a pair of shafts jonrnaled adjacent to saidtable, sprocket Wheels carried by said shaft, chains passing around saidsprocket wheels and overlying said table, said table being slotted forthe passage of said chains, a ratchet wheel on one of said shafts, andmeans for advancing said ratchet wheel simultaneously with theapplication of a new article to the end of the series, and means foradjusting the amount of feed of said ratchet wheel.

12. The combination with a substantially, horizontal stacking table forpaper articles and reciprocating means whereby succeeding articles maybe pressed against the face of articles already on said table wherebythe whole series of articles is advanced, of conveyer mechanism carriedby said table and projecting above the surface thereof and adapted toreceive said articles, ratchet means operatively associated with saidconveyer mechanism, a reciprocating device carried by said table andadapted to project beyond the end thereof into the path of saidreciprocating means, and pawls secured to said reciprocating device andengaging said ratchet means so as to move said conveyer mechanism uponthe forward movement of said reciprocating means.

13. In ejecting mechanism of the type wherein paper articles aredelivered insuccession to a stacking table and advanced along that tableby the addition of succeeding articles to the rear end of the series,the combination. with the stacking table. of conveyer mechanismprojecting above the surface of said table and upon which said articlesmay bear. supporting members adjacent to and parallel with said conveyermechanism and adapted to relieve the latter of a portion of the weightof said articles, means for advancing said conveyer mechanism at a speedmore rapid than the speed of advance of said series, and a retardingblock carried by said table in advance of said series of articles, saidblock being entirely out of contact with said conveyer mechanism.

14. In ejecting mechanism of the type wherein paper articles aredelivered in succession to a stacking table and are advanced along thattable by the operation of a ramming device acting upon each article asit is delivered, the combination, with such table and ramming device, offriction strips carried by said table adapted to receive and supportsaid articles, conveyer mechanism carried by said table and adapted tobear against the lowermost portions of said articles, means foroperating said conveyer mechanism at a speed greater than the speed ofadvance of said articles, means for adjusting said strips toward andfrom the table so as to vary the pressure with which they bear againstsaid articles, and a retarding block carried by said table in advance ofsaid series of articles, the bottom portion of said block being cut awayso as not to contact with said conveyer mechanism.

15. The combination, with a substantially, horizontal stacking table anda reciprocating member whereby paper articles are delivered insuccession to said table and are advanced therealong, of a pair ofparallel, horizontal, transverse shafts j ournaledto the lower side ofsaid table and having sprocket wheels thereon, said table being slottedfor said sprocket wheels, chains passing around each pair of sprocketwheels, a portion of each chain overlying the surface of said table, aratchet wheel carried by one of said shafts, a pawl cooperating withsaid ratchet wheel, and reciprocating means projecting into the path ofmovement of said reciprocating member and operatively connected to saidpawl, the sprocket wheels of one pair being adjustable longitudinally oftheir shafts whereby the distance between said chains may be varied.

16. In ejecting mechanism, the combinastriking member having an offsetportion 10 tion, with a stacking table and means for de adapted to beengaged and displaced byv the livering articles thereto in successionand approach of said articles.

' advancmg the same in series therealong, of In testimony whereof, Ihereunto afiix my 5 alarm mechanism for indicating the fullnesssignature in the presence of two witnesses.

of the table comprising a sounding member CHARLES F. KEWITZ. fixed tothe table, and a striking member Witnesses:

pivoted to said table and adapted when dis- HAROLD-E. SMITH,

placed to strike said sounding member, said ALICE MOORE.

